1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to point-of-sale (POS) terminal systems, and more particularly to providing an interchangeable base in a POS terminal system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminal systems are commonly used in retail stores, supermarkets, and restaurants for sales transactions. In a typical terminal system, popular components include a cash drawer, receipt printer, credit card reader, bar code reader, monitor, customer display, POS keyboard, touch screen monitor, and computer. However, In most POS customer service areas, counter space is limited.
Therefore, although it may be advantageous to integrate several components into one compact unit, a high degree of integration has at least one drawback. Specifically, different components have different usable life spans. Therefore, a single outdated component can render the entire system obsolete even if the remaining components are perfectly functional and up-to-date. In an integrated POS terminal system, the computer provides an excellent example of a component that is readily outdated.
A conventional All-In-One or integrated POS terminal system 10, in which each of the components is integrated into a single assembly, is shown in FIG. 1. The display is often a touch screen Liquid Crystal Display monitor (LCD) 12. The electronics required to power and drive the touch screen monitor 12 are generally housed behind the display 16.
An important component of the integrated terminal system 10 is the computer (not shown). In FIG. 1, the computer is located either inside a base 14 or in a rear portion of the terminal housing 16. In either case, the computer is an integral part of the system and it is not separable from the remaining assembly to enable the computer to be, for example, upgraded to a more powerful computer.
Thus, there is a need in the field of POS terminal systems for an alternative that would provide the advantages of conventional integrated POS terminal systems, which include many essential components, while addressing the limitation of rendering an entire system obsolete with a single outdated component, such as the computer. In addition, there is a need to improve flexibility in customizing the features of an integrated POS terminal system.